DCI revises 'storefront protection' plan

Potential zoning changes could put restrictions on storefront uses in Chambersburg in the area between King and Washington streets, seen Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.(Photo: Markell DeLoatch, Public Opinion)Buy Photo

The discussion Tuesday night in Chambersburg Borough Council chambers in Borough Hall will center around the fourth such proposal by DCI. The downtown organization must convince commissioners the plan is viable and the right thing for downtown Chambersburg before it can be considered by borough council.

Sam Thrush and Alex Rohrbaugh, two volunteers who developed the concept for Downtown Chambersburg Inc., have proposed a Storefront Protection Zone that would encompass Main Street from Falling Spring Creek to Washington Street and Lincoln Way from Second Street on the east to the Conococheague Creek on the west.

It would also include the entire Memorial Square area in the center of town.

The two volunteers in March defined a storefront as the area between the property line and the main facade of the building when the building is located within 25 feet of the property line. A storefront building would also include a ground-floor elevation with a high percentage of transparent or glass windows to create visual interest from the adjacent public sidewalk.

Thrush said the storefront protection concept came about during discussions at DCI on how the downtown core could be improved. He described it as "downtown reinventing itself" in an attempt to revitalize that particular business district.

Downtown has taken a hit over the years as shopping centers and malls cropped up in Chambersburg and the Greater Chambersburg area, drawing business away from downtown, he said.

The target area is in Chambersburg's Central Core zoning district.

Thrush and Rohrbaugh said most cities don't have a central core district as large as Chambersburg's, which covers just over six square blocks in the downtown area.

They suggested uses of ground-level buildings with storefronts in the proposed zone be limited to things such as retail businesses, restaurants, drinking places, art galleries, audios and photography studios, fitness and recreation establishments, personal care shops, banks, visitor welcome centers, museums and, under certain conditions, churches. The downtown area already has some of those businesses.

The limitations would not apply to the upper floor of a business, or to parts of the main floor of the building that had side or back entrances.

This clip from the Chambersburg zoning map shows the Central Core zone in brown.(Photo: Submitted)

In March, commission members had many questions, and at least one member expressed concerns that limiting uses for downtown businesses would limit how landlords could use their properties.

"Would we be saying to landlords 'if you can't find a tenant with a business on this list, you can't rent (your property)?" asked Mark Miller, a commission member who owns a downtown gift shop, Gypsie.

Miller said all of the uses on DCI's list would be "great additions" to the downtown area, but he questioned the demand for many of those types of stores downtown.

If a storefront protection zone were to happen, it would require a change to the borough's zoning ordinance, which would require a public hearing before the changes could be adopted.

The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of town hall, 100 S. Second St. The meeting is open to the public. Those attending should enter through the police department, 116 S. Second Street, and take the stairs to the second floor. Elevator access is also available for the disabled.